Inventing. A simple guide for beginners By Glen K. Dash

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Book Synopsis

Anyone can become an inventor regardless of age, experience, educational level, or which country he is from. In the modern world, one just has to look around and see the many technologies, novelties and material products and tools that make our lives comfortable. For example, a simple tool like the paper clip makes our lives easier and comfortable in the office, at school and at home. The stapler is another productivity tool that makes our lives comfortable in the office, at school and at home. The post-it note that was accidentally invented also makes our lives comfortable. So there are millions of inventions, products and tools around us that we can look at and realise how simple these are and these have changed our world and make us more productive and comfortable.

A complex invention on the other hand is made up of hundreds, thousands and even millions of smaller inventions. These smaller inventions were simply put together to make a complex product. For example if you look at the individual components that make up a car and you focus on these individually and maybe even count the number of individual parts, you will realise that each part was invented separately of each other. Then all these parts were brought together to make a car. Therefore a budding and inspiring inventor does not have to think about a complex problem, product, machine or tool. He just needs to think about the simpler components, focus in each and build on these simpler components to make a complex machine, tool or product.

The first step to becoming an inventor is to think simple and look at an individual part or component in isolation from the large machine. For example, instead of looking at an entire car, one can focus on the wheel and ask himself how to improve the wheel design. After a close examination, he might realise that the tire needs improvement, so he comes up with an idea for a broader tire or a tyre with stronger or modified threads, which when produced will improve the performance of the entire car and not just the wheels.

Secondly, the individual must be able to look beyond a problem and see solutions. As explained earlier, the individuals at the workplace or at home who is quick to complain, to find faults, to nag and annoy others with existing real or imagined problems go through their entire lives without offering any kind of solutions to any problem or problems. When an individual shifts his thinking patterns and begins to see solutions, he will be able to offer these solutions to a problem at hand. At this point he can consider himself an inventor.